Nike hasn’t done itself any favors with the design of its latest Olympic track outfit for women, as the sporting giant has been called out for making the uniform look “skimpy” and “inappropriate.”
The leotard is cut quite high from the hip area, making it look both uncomfortable and revealing. A slew of former and current USA athletes have come out and criticized the design, with long jump competitor Tara Davis-Woodhall, 2008 Olympian Queen Harrison Claye, former track star Lauren Fleshman, pole vaulter Katie Moon, and many more either mocking it or condemning it. Athletes have taken to the comment section of Citius Magazine (where the designs were first posted) to let their frustrations be known.
These are just a few of the comments from Olympic athletes on the Instagram post:
Nike has pointed out that the leotard is one option and athletes will have multiple choices to pick from ahead of the Paris Olympics. Vice President of Apparel Innovation Janett Nichol has claimed that the uniforms are expected to “perform at the highest level,” and that the brand tested the outfits on athletes before rolling out the news.
In relation to the women’s outfit, the men’s uniform comes across as conservative. The men have mid-thigh-length shorts and a tank top, much like the previous versions that both viewers and athletes are used to. Team USA came out on top in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, bagging a tally of 113 medals, 39 of which were gold. Fans would be expecting a similar performance this time around, and an improvement in the uniform designs would certainly take away unnecessary discourse around topics athletes don’t need to care about.
(featured image: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for the USOPC)
